Brachial Plexus Injury Lawyer Kansas City, MO

Brachial Plexus Injury Lawyer Kansas City, MO

When thinking about starting or expanding a family, many parents can imagine a difficult pregnancy and possible complications that can happen over the nine months the baby spends in utero. But fewer parents are prepared for the possibility that their child could suffer a serious injury during the birth itself. Sadly, birth injuries are more common than most people realize, and they can have serious, lifelong consequences for both the baby and the mother.

Just one of many possible birth injury scenarios involves damage to the brachial plexus. Statistics show that brachial plexus injuries occur in one to three births out of every 1,000. If your child has suffered this injury as a result of a traumatic birth process, please don’t wait to connect with a birth injury lawyer Kansas City, MO residents trust. The experienced Kansas City, MO brachial plexus injury lawyer team at Royce Injury Attorneys LLC can help you to preserve your legal options and exercise your legal rights. Depending on your circumstances, you may be awarded significant compensation as a result of the harm your child has suffered.

What Are Brachial Plexus Injuries?

Between a person’s neck and shoulders, there is a highly complex network of nerves called the brachial plexus. This network, which is located along the chest between the neck and armpit, is responsible for controlling muscle function and feeling in the arms and hands, shoulders and chest.

If the nerves in the brachial plexus are compressed, stretched or torn, the result may be loss of feeling, reduced movement or paralysis in the limb.

There are numerous subtypes of brachial plexus injuries based on:

How the nerves were damaged (stretched, ruptured, torn, etc.)

Where along the path the damage occurred

Which of the five nerves were damaged

One subtype of brachial plexus injury, for instance, is Erb’s Palsy. Someone with this condition experienced damage to the upper nerves. As a result, they will likely experience weakness in the biceps and shoulder muscles. In babies, this will likely result in atrophy (weakening) of the muscles and feeling of stiffness/pain. It could also put the baby at higher risk for shoulder dislocation.

How Do These Injuries Occur During Birth?

It should be noted that brachial plexus injuries can occur at any time during life, typically as a result of physical trauma. But BPIs are commonly thought of as birth injuries, in part, because they can occur when there is difficulty getting a baby safely through the birth canal. Depending on the circumstances of a child’s traumatic birth, a Kansas City, MO brachial plexus injury lawyer may be able to help parents seek compensation for the harm their child has suffered. Newborns are at higher risk for BPIs when:

The infant’s shoulders get wedged in the birth canal

The baby has a high birth weight

The labor lasts a long time

The baby is presenting breech

There are times when the risk factors cannot be controlled, even with the best medical intervention. But there are also instances in which brachial plexus injuries are the result of mistakes, negligence and medical malpractice. It is up to physicians and delivery nurses to closely monitor both the mother and the fetus for signs of distress and complications and intervene in a timely fashion. When they don’t, there is an increased risk of BPIs and even more devastating birth injuries.

You Can Hold Negligent Medical Professionals Liable

If your child was diagnosed with Erb’s Palsy or any other form of brachial plexus injury as the result of hospital errors or other medical malpractice, please speak to a Kansas City, MO brachial plexus injury lawyer about seeking compensation for your family’s:

Past, present and future medical bills (which may be very expensive)

Years of physical therapy

The (potential) need for numerous surgeries

Pain and suffering

It is not easy to prove that a birth injury was foreseeable and preventable, which is why it is so important to work with highly experienced attorneys who have the knowledge, skills and resources to build these types of cases.

To learn more about how our Missouri-based firm can help you and your child, call us to arrange an initial consultation. We look forward to speaking with you and hearing your child’s story.